FMD - Catching up with Cathy Fedoruk

Gail Hadani & Paul Innis, Photographers

Cathy Fedoruk is our December 2017 Model of the Month.

Known for her effervescent personality, the Canadian born beauty is one of the few models of 80's who followed a unique path and went on to star in several campaigns such as Revlon, Cover Girl, L'Oreal, Vichy, Max Mara, Guy Laroche and Georges Marciano.

Fedoruk was plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight when she was studying in college. For a girl growing up in Tsawwassen in the late 80's / early 90's, Fashion was a window to the world and more than the spotlight that came with it. 'In truth, it wasn't really a matter of being inspired. I wanted to break free of the small-town Canadian scene where I was raised, to travel and experience the world. I couldn't think of a better path that could deliver the resources and opportunity to make that happen,' Fedoruk recalls.

Fedoruk has a particular fondness for 1990s, 'It was the last gasp of the pre-digital world! The world was bigger then. Somehow, after the 90s, the entire world seems to have shrunk into a palm-sized computer,' she explains. When asked if she had a mentor, Fedoruk quotes Polly Mellen, stylist and fashion editor for more than 60 years at Harper's Bazaar and Vogue.'She believed in me and put me on the map. I wrote a letter to thank her not too long ago, and she was so humble and dignified,' she says.

In her 15 years as a fashion model, Fedoruk had the privilege of working with famous photographers such as Richard Avedon, Patrick Demarchelier and Steven Meisel. She also graced the covers of many international fashion magazines including Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Chatelaine and Flare. 'I worked with Dick Avedon for Vogue and Revlon in his New York City townhouse studio,' she remembers. 'He was polite, professional and prepared. He always knew exactly what he wanted, and his sittings were over fast. He had a way that put you at ease on set. In my experience, only the very best photographers had the confidence to work like that.'

While Fedoruk's modeling career had a meteoric rise, she eventually quit the industry to focus on her personal life in order to start a family. 'I was working non-stop and traveling everywhere, flying first class, meeting top photographers, designers and editors, staying in the best hotels and eating in the finest restaurants. It was beyond my wildest dreams, but exhausting. It was tough on my private life and often lonely. By the end of the 90s I was ready to settle down with someone I could have a family with. Which is what I did,' she tells us.

After a decade-plus hiatus, Fedoruk is excited to step back into the fashion world. These days, she is working on her first book and hopes to become a published author. She spends her free time reading and traveling with her family.

In an exclusive interview with us she talks about her life as a model in the '80s and 90s, her love for nature and her future goals.